Spaghetti Squash with Sage and Orange

Happy President's Day! So today was yet another day off for me and I decided it was time to try this spaghetti squash recipe while the squash was still good. Here's a link to the recipe:

http://www.wholeliving.com/recipe/spaghetti-squash-with-sage-and-orange

Liz and I think generally think that squash is unappreciated for how awesome it can be. Up until recently we hadn't touched it outside of pumpkin until we started buying butternut squash ravioli at Costco. A few weeks ago we tried out an acorn squash recipe which came out well, so we're gradually expanding out and getting the hang of it.

To begin, I pulled out the squash and started to slice it up. I think I may not know enough about how to pick the right knife for the job; I used a 5" santoku knife and had to really push it to halve the shell. In retrospect, perhaps a serrated knife would have been a better choice. It would also seem that the squash I picked out was a bit larger than the recipe expected as I had trouble getting it to lay flesh-side to lay down toward the steam in the pan which led to some issues later. While the squash was steaming, I prepped the rest of the the ingredients - random, zesting an orange is kind of fun.

Here are some pics:

(squash steaming - it's a bit crowded in there)

(the orange, post-zest & juice)

(the sauce)

So, at this point the squash is steamed-ish, the sauce is made, and now it's time to make into spaghetti. This part is pretty cool. To "make spagehetti", you rake it with a fork so that it breaks into little strands. Here is a picture of one of the quarters before and after as well as some of the strands:

To finish up I just tossed it all together...

(yay food)

Unfortunately, we didn't have fresh sage so I couldn't garnish it to make it look pretty. I also had to sub-out deli mustard for yellow mustard. But I remembered to take a picture this time before we started eating, just in time for a recipe where it doesn't show whether or not you've dug in.

The review: Liz and I thought the sauce came out well but that the squash was a bit too al dente as it was rather crunchy. That goes back to the over-sized issue I mentioned earlier. I was concerned about overcooking it and probably pull it out a bit early. Basically, you should cook until the fork slides easily into the flesh but before it is mushy. Whereas, when I took it out when I still had to push the fork a bit to get into some of the flesh.

The flavor is very light and delicate. If you're pairing it with a non-water drink you'll want to go with something that won't overpower it. I went back for seconds, so apparently I like it (we have brownies too, so it's not just because I'm hungry).

Positive Notes:

• From start to finish this took less than 30 minutes to make
• As with all veggie dinners, there are plenty of calories leftover for beer
• The new food list increases to 5 (sardines, acorn squash, brussel sprouts, kale, spaghetti squash)

Random Asides:

• Less than one day to Men's Olympic Hockey
• I don't think drinking Coke and eating at McDonald's makes me an Olympian, despite what the Olympic ads tell me
• In honor (or dishonor?) or President's Day - this is hilarious. A very good friend happened to send this to me while I was writing this post. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZfRaWAtBVg&feature=player_embedded#

Alright, back to work tomorrow :)